Recently, I ran a race and I was hoping to finish in a specific time. I trained pretty hard and I was confident it was going to happen. Before the race, I even said, “It’s in the bag."

However, very early on in the race, I knew there was no way it was going to happen so I changed my agenda from trying to run my fastest race ever to enjoying a leisurely, fun run. And even then, I was huffing and puffing and never wanted to see a finish line so badly in my life. Sometimes you have it, and sometimes you don’t.

I accepted that this just wasn't my day and chose to be grateful for a million different reasons, even if my desired outcome wasn't going to be a reality. I was healthy, I was in shape enough to be running a race, and I was outdoors exercising during the best month of the year.

I have been running for years now and I have gained so much from it mentally, physically and spiritually. When I first started, I struggled to complete a mile but I knew that figuring out how to run and get myself in physical shape would somehow change me and help me grow in ways that nothing else could.